Cotton compress



Oct. 29, 1940. E. LEE 2,219,709

COTTON COMPRESS Filed Feb. 1, 1939 I 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 4 FMZ Oct. 29, 1940. E. LEE

COTTON COMPRESS 3 Sheets-Sheet'2 Filed Feb. 1, 1939 EMJ Lee awn/wa Oct. 29, 1940. E. LEE

COTTON COMPRESS Filed Feb. 1, 1939 s sneets sneet s Patented Oct. 29, 1940 UNITED STATES.

A PATENT orrlce 10 Claims.

This invention relates to hydraulic presses, more particularly to presses for compressing bales of cotton and the like for warehouse storage and shipment and, among other objects, aims 5 to provide an improved compress provided with a plurality of rams and having a platen composed of separate sections with manually operable control valves adapted to operate the rams independentl of each other as well as a safety limit valve to prevent the rams from wrecking the press. The main idea is to provide a press of this type which is capable of reducing the size of ordinary cotton bales to any required density, shaping the compressed bales uniformly regardless of differences in density, and lapping the bagging to produce fully wrapped and neat compressed bales for storage and shipment, with the resulting advantages of greatly increasing warehouse capacity, reducing insurance rates,

0 providing maximum car loading capacity with minimum freight rates, protecting the bales against loss and damage from the elements and overcoming objections to ragged bales in foreign markets.

Other aims and advantages of the invention Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1; and

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are sectional views of different types of valves employed in the hydraulic sys- 0 tem.

Referring particularly to the drawings, the

type of press there shown employs ordinary hydraulic rams having the usual ram cylinders l0 suspended from a base II and arranged in a pit. 5 Inasmuch as these rams are employed for compressing ordinary gin bales, the stroke may be and preferably is only a few feet. Three such rams are employed in this instance, and each operates a separate platen section l2. These 0 platen sections carry the usual ribs l3 which are bent upwardly at an angle at their ends to conform to the opposite edges of a gin bale and confine it properly in the press. The press is shown as having structural vertical I beams l4 5 and the usual cross beams l5 at the top carrying (c ino-71) the top platen l6 presenting ribs ll similar to the ribs l3 of A the lower platen sections. The two end platen sections are guided in their travel by the flanges of the vertical I beams It, being shown as having structural angle guides I8 slid- 5 ably engaging the inside faces of the flanges. The intermediate platen section is shown as having vertical flanges I9 at its opposite end edges arranged to be guided vertically by engaging similar flanges 20 on the inner end edges of the outer or end platen sections.

The rams are connected to be operated by an ordinary motor driven hydraulic pump 2| which is supplied with fluid from a tank 22 by means of an inlet pipe or conduit 23. A pressure fluid conduit 24 is connected through a pressure relief valve 25 and hand operated main control valve 26 to all of the cylinders through a pipe 21 and manifold 28 having valved branches 29 leading into the cylinders. The pressure relief valve is adapted t operate in response to an excessive pressure in the delivery pipe to .bypass the fluid through a return conduit 30 connected to the storage tank 22. This valve may be of any ordinary approved design. The main 25 control valve 26 is preferably of the balanced piston type and is shown in Fig. 5 as consisting of a casing having two openings to receive the conduits 24 and 21 so that the fluid normally passes through them. It also has a by-pass 30 opening to which is connected a fluid return pipe 3| controlled by a plunger 32 normally held seated by an expansion spring 33 but adapted to be opened by double acting cams 34 and 35 which are operated by an ordinary hand lever 35 36 arranged within easy grasping distance of an operator standing on the floor near the level of the lowered platen sections. When this valve is opened, it will remain open until the lever is again raised. The arrangement is such that the 40 operator may start the pump and operate all of the rams simultaneously until the platens reach the desired height; then he can stop the platens and lower them by opening the control valve 32 to by-pass the fluid back into the tank.

Each of the rams is connected to be controlled separately by foot operated valves 31 also preferably of the balanced plunger type. One of these valves is shown in section in Fig. 7 as consisting of a'casing having opposed branches to 5 receive the pipe branches 29 and a plunger 38 having a reduced portion 39 normally alined with the openings permits the fluid to pass through the branches. The plunger is shown as being normally held in its open position by an 55 expansion coil spring 40 acting on a. disc or washer member ll' carried by the plunger stem. An extension 42 on the upper end or the stem projects through the floorandhas a cap or button 43 adapted to be pressed downgby the foot of the operator. This arrangement is such that the operator may control the individual rams according to the positions of the platen sections while a bale is being compressed. He may momentarily close one of the valves while the other two platen sections continue to rise,

will rise ahead of the other platen sections. By,

this mode of control, the operator can throttle or cut oil the flow of fluid to the cylinders and regulate the travel of the platen sections for the purpose of equalizing the final thickness of the bale. 'I'hisenables the rams to apply the maximum or full pressure to any dense portion of a bale. This eliminates tilting strains which would be exerted on a one-piece platen'of the ordinary type.

The operator manipulates the separate valves until all of the platen sections reach the proper level to tie out the compressed bale. Then the platen sections are stopped and the pressure maintained in the ram cylinders by closing all of the valves 31. To operate them together or simultaneously, there is shown a rocker shaft 44 journaled in bearing brackets 45 under the floor and carrying cams 45 acting upon the discs or washers 4l.- These cams are preferably arranged in pairs which straddle the valve stem extensions 42 and their design and arrangement may be such that when they are turned to valve closing position they will hold the valves closed. The

shaft may be operated by foot or by a single hand lever 41 projecting through the floor within easy reach of the operator. The lever is shown in Fig. 4 as having an ordinary spring latch engaging a notched segment.

To limit the upward movement of the rains and avoid damage to the press, there is shown a by-pass or return pipe 48 connecting the delivery pipe 21 to the tank and carrying a plunger type safety limit or by-pass valve 49 adapted to be opened by any one of the platen sections when it reaches a predetermined height. In Fig. 6, the valve is shown as being similar to the one in Fig. 7 except that its plunger 50 is normally held in its valve closing position by a spring with the reduced portion 52 above the branch openings in' the casing. The valve casing is shown as having an arm 53 to which a lever 54 is pivoted and the lever is pivotally connected to the upper end of the valve stem. A link 55 and a crank 56 connect the lever to be operated by a rocker shaft 51 extending alongside the base beams. The shaft carries operating cranks 58, one for each ram, and rods 59 connected to the platen sections are slidably mounted in openings in the cranks and have adjustable nuts 60 at their lower ends to engage the respective operating cranks and turn the shaft to open the valve, thus instantly relieving the pressure in all of the ram cylinders and permitting the rams to descend.

The operation of the system may be understood from the general arrangement of the valves and piping shown diagrammatically in Fig. 3, it

being understood that the valves are operated by themechanism explained in connection with a the other figures. The motor driven pump is intended to operate continuously but may be started and stopped at the pleasure of the operator. The tank of oil is preferably arranged above the level of the pump to maintain a continuous supply of oil to the suction side. As soon as the pump starts, it builds up the pressure'in the discharge or delivery line and when the pressure reaches the desired or pre-determined maximum, the pressure relief or pump by-pass valve 25 automatically by-passes the oil into the tank. The operator actuates the lever 36 of the main operating valve 26 to close the by-pass line 3| and permits'the oil, at the full capacity of the pump, to flow through the delivery line and manifold 28 to all of the ram cylinders, it being understood that all of the individual control valves 31 in the branches 29 leading to the cylinders remain open. When the platen sections approach the top of their strokes, the operator observes their movement and controls them by manipulating the individual valves 31 to equalizethe thickness of the bale, as has been 'fully explained; After the platen sections reach their limit, the operator actuates the hand lever 41 to cut off or close all of the individual control valves 31 and hold the platen sections in their bale compressing position until the compressed bale is tied. When he closes the individual control valves, he also pulls down on the lever 36 of the main operating valve to open it and by-pass the pump fluid back to the tank. When the bale is tied, he again operates the lever 41 to open the valves 31 and permit the oil in all of the cylinders to return through the delivery line back into the tank through the main operating valve and the by-pass pipe 3|.

If the operator should accidentally permit any one of the rams to rise above its maximum height, it will be understood that the safety limit or bypass valve 49 will be opened due to the action of the rod 59 against the crank 58 on the rocker shaft 51. Then, all of the rams will descend until this by-pass again closes automatically. This movement of the rams will remind the operator to assume full control of the rams by manipulating the various control valves.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the hydraulic press is relatively simple in its construction and rugged in design. It is capable of compressing cotton bales to a minimum size without undue strain on any of the rams or platen sections. It is impossible for an operator to wreck the press by improper manipulation of the valves. It produces more uniform and neatly wrapped bales and thereby greatly reduces the storage and shipping space required for them.

Obviously, the present invention is not restricted to the particular embodiment thereof herein shown and described. Moreover, it is not indispensable that all the features of the invention be usedconjointly, since they may be employed advantageously in various combinations and sub-combinations.

What is claimed is:

1. In a cotton compress having a plurality of vertical hydraulic rams, a separate horizontal platen section carried by each ram and said sections normally lying in the same plane; and control means for operating the rams either simultaneously or independently of each other.

2. In a cotton compress having a plurality of vertical hydraulic rams, a separate horizontal platen section carried by each ram and said sections normally lying in the same plane; a main control valve for controlling the delivery of fluid to operate all of the rams simultaneously; and individual cut-off valves connected to control the rams independently of each other.

3. In a cotton compress having a plurality of vertical hydraulic rams, 'a separate horizontalplaten section carried by each ram and said sections normally lying in the same plane; a main control valve for controlling the delivery of fluid to operate all of the rams simultaneously; individual cut-off valves connected to control the-rams independently of each other; means to operate each valve independently of the other valves; and common means connected to operate said valves simultaneously to stop all of the rams.

4. In a cotton compress having a plurality of vertical hydraulic rams, a separate horizontal platen section carried by each ram and said sections normally lying in the same plane; separate control valves for the rams to cut ofi the .delivery of fluid; and foot operating means for each of the valves.

5. In a compress of the character described having a plurality of hydraulic rams, a composite platen composed of complemental separate sections carried by the respective rams; separate control valves for the rams to cut off the delivery of fluid; foot operating means for each of the valves; means connected to close all of said valve simultaneously and stop all of the rams; and a by-pass valve connected to return the hydraulic fluid to its source when said valves are closed.

6. In a compress of the character described having a plurality of vertical hydraulic rams, a composite platen having separate complemental sections carried by the respective rams; control means for operating the rams either simultaneously or independently of each other; and automatic control means connected to'stop all of the rams when any platen rises above a predetermined maximum height.

7. In a compress of the character described having a pluralfity of hydraulic rams, a composite platen having separate complemental sections carried by the respective rams; a pump connected to a source of hydraulic fluid and having a delivery pipe connected to the cylinders of each of said rams; a main control valve having a bypass conduit connected to return pumped fluid 'to'its source; separate cut-oi! valves for controlling the delivery of fluid to each of the ram cylinders; toot operating means for said separate valves; a by-pass control valve connected to the delivery conduit; and means connected to each or the platens to open said by-pass valve and stop all of the rams when any ram moves beyond a pre-determined limit.

8. In a compress of the character described having a plurality of hydraulic rams, a composite platen having separate complemental sections carried by the respective rams; a pump connected to a source of hydraulic fluid and having a delivery pipe leading to the cylinders of said rams; individual cut-off valves for the respective cylinders; a main control valve connected to bypass the pumped fluid; a safety by-pass valve connected to the delivery conduit; and means to operate said safety by-pass valve to return the pumped fluid to its source incident to the movement of any platen beyond a pre-determined limit.

9. In a compress of the character described having a plurality of vertical hydraulic rams, a separate horizontal platen section carried by each 'ram and said sections lying in the same plane in their retracted'positions; a pump connected to a source of hydraulic fluid having a delivery pipe connected to each of the ram cylinders; a pressure relief valve in said delivery pipe connected to by-pass the pumped fluid from the delivery pipe to the source of supply; a main control valve having a by-pass port also connected to return the pumped fluidto the source; individual control valves for cutting off the supply of fluid to the respective ram cylinders; foot operating means for said individual valves; a single rocker shaft having cams connected to actuate all of the individual valves simultaneously; and a hand lever for operating said rocker shaft. 1

10. In a compressof the character described having a plurality of vertical hydraulic rams, a separate horizontal platen section carried by each ram and said sections lying in the same plane in their retracted positions; a pump connected to a source of hydraulic fluid and having. a delivery conduit connected to the respective ram cylinders; valves arranged to control the operation of said rams either simultaneously or independently of each other; a safety limit by-pass valve connected to the delivery pipe and arranged to return the pumped fluid to the source; a rocker shaft connected to open said safety limit by-pass valve; crank arms on said rocker shaft; rods carried by each of said platens and connected to operate saidcrank arms and thereby open said safety limit by-pass valve when any platen rises above a pre-determined height.

. EDWARD LEE. 

